New Year's Eve

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It's a bright, clear, and chilly morning here. The temperature has actually fallen to a brisk 22°F since we've been up . It was quite windy yesterday, but the wind has died down this morning. We haven't received any snow yet. It's often in the transition to warmer and wetter weather that we end up with a good snow or ice storm. It would be nice to have a little snow. As for ice, I'll pass. Thanks.

Smitty is none too happy about this cold weather. A cat could freeze his tail off.

As far as he's concerned, this weather is for the birds. He'll just watch them from this window right here. 

Even the birds can't be too happy about it, however. We've been keeping their feeders filled, but the poor hummingbirds are greeted by a frozen feeder as often as not. We keep switching out the frozen for the thawed feeder, but it's a daily, and sometimes twice-daily chore. Surprisingly, we have Anna's Hummingbirds year-round where we live. 

The Audubon Society of Portland gave us some helpful tips about caring for our hummingbirds in cold temperatures.

It's going to be a busy day here at the Three Cats Ranch. The kids are coming up for a New Year's Day dinner of ham, and so I'm making a salad and a cheesecake today. Today's cheesecake is a Luscious Lemon Cheesecake. Since I just made a different cheesecake last week, you might assume that I'm in a cheesecake mood. It's actually my response to Erik's claim that last week's cranberry cheesecake was the best cheesecake he'd ever eaten. I think he's going to like the lemon cheesecake even better. We'll see. I'll be sure to report back later.

So despite needing to get going on cooking and household chores, I got a start on the first block for the Gingerbread Square quilt this morning.

It's my first time using Cosmo floss, and it's very nice. I can't say I'm finding it either inferior or superior to DMC, but it does have a nice sheen. Someone in a quilt shop once told me that it's color fast, although I believe DMC floss is also color fast. Whatever. It's working, and I'm happy with the colors.

As long as I was doing that, I perused a book I purchased recently. Have you seen the Bobbins Bargains at Kansas City Star Quilt Store? Each week they offer a book at a very low price...something like $4.95 plus shipping.... Once you buy five, I think you get a freebie...or something like that. Don't quote me. Anyway, this is the third of their bargain books that I've purchased. When the email ad comes out, there's a link to a video that shows you the whole book. It's nice to see what you're actually getting.

I love books that teach me something or have some sort of theme. Being a poetry fan, this one appealed to me. This book is going to supply me with my "Let's Book It" project for next month.

It'll also make a good choice for a little doll quilt swap that's due in April. I kind of liked this poem inspired by Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem, Feast.

Here's what the book told me about the poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay:

"Bohemian lifestyle"? I think I would have liked this woman. Here's the poem that inspired the quilt.

Yeah...I'm not really that kind of abstract thinker, but I still like the quilt. And the poem.

So...lots to do today, and I'd better get at that cheesecake. Cheesecakes aren't difficult, but they are a bit of a time-consuming production. My cream cheese is at room temperature, and so I'm ready to go.

How are you spending New Year's Eve? As for us, we'll probably sleep in the new year, as we have every year since the Millennium. The Millennium seemed like a big deal, and every New Year's Eve since has paled in comparison. Whatever you do...be safe.